IF Ginni looked almost lost before his stint at Box Hill ... THEN

Sliding Doors is in full swing for 2025 .. and Damo's got plenty on his mind

IF BBH (Before Box Hill) Ginni looked almost lost ... THEN

STRAP yourselves in, footy fans - Damian Barrett's Sliding Doors is back in full swing for 2025.

With the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season underway, Damo's got plenty of thoughts about all 18 clubs - and the AFL.

So what is he saying about your team? What's he saying about the AFL? You can't say that, Damo, can you? Check it out below.

>> ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION FROM DAMIAN BARRETT

IF ...

the win in round 13 was a very good one, coming against the reigning premier ...

THEN ...

I still have no idea how the Crows did it. Seventeen points down at the last change. Five shots at goal only for the final quarter, against the Lions' 10. Also, there was a lack of any real idea how to defend a lead in the final five minutes. A lot to like, a lot to fix.

Learn More 03:18

IF ..

the loss in round 13 was a bad one, coming against a team with flag aspirations ...

THEN ...

I still have no idea how the Lions threw it away. Seventeen points up at three-quarter time, 10 shots at goal to come. But not one of them a goal. The true definition of the One That Got Away.

IF ...

Harris Andrews, Callum Wilkie, Jack Buckley, Sam Taylor and maybe even Rory Lobb are making cases for the key back All-Australian slots ...

THEN ...

so too is Jack Silvagni. Has been excellent all season. Who would've thought that a key defensive post in a Carlton side would be the best place for a Silvagni?? It only took 10 seasons to give him a proper, sustained crack at the role.

IF ...

the Pies have reached their weekend off with an 11-2 scoreline, the only match lost after an Opening Round thrashing being by three points against Geelong in round eight ...

THEN ...

imagine how dominant they will be when their best player Nick Daicos, and arguably their second-best Dan Houston, both find their desired form. Daicos has still been very, very good. But in just three completed seasons, he has set a benchmark of greatness. And Houston has been more than OK, but nowhere near his two-time All-Australian best.

IF ...

this may come across as an unfair knock ...

THEN ...

I don't intend it to be, because the Bombers, in my eyes, have performed above expectations given the unavailability of soooo many key players. But clubs can sometimes fall into a comfort zone in losing nicely. And sometimes, losing nicely does not convert to wins when the bigger-name players return.

IF ...

the Dockers are serious ...

THEN ...

they will defeat North Melbourne on Saturday on their home patch at Optus Stadium, as the away team, by 10 goals.

IF ...

there are bigger names, profiles and egos at the Cats ...

THEN ...

there may be no one with more importance to Chris Scott's gameplan than Ollie Dempsey. This guy just makes everything work, every single week. And when you see him take a screamer in the goalsquare, realise he has often run 140 metres to create that moment. An already brilliant footballer only scratching the surface.

Learn More 00:47

IF ...

the Suns have registered an 8-4 scoreline into this weekend's bye ...

THEN ...

they're tracking nicely. But losses to Fremantle and Geelong going into that break served as a reality check on premiership hopes.

IF ...

the Giants want to convince an increasingly doubting footy world that they retain status as a flag hope ...

THEN ...

beating Brisbane at the Gabba on Saturday would go a long way to achieving that. Callaghan is a big inclusion.

IF ...

BBH (Before Box Hill) Ginni looked almost lost ...

THEN ...

PBH (Post Box Hill) Ginni is a new man. Has been very good since he returned after that VFL stint, where he missed round six against the Cats. Two goals from five matches BBH, 13 goals from seven games PBH. Loved the pre-goal celebration against the Dogs, too.

Learn More 00:45

IF ...

the Demons needed some positive news ...

THEN ...

voila! Kozzy Pickett has been re-contracted, all the way through to the end of 2034. Kozzy has been one of my favourites to watch since his first season in 2020. But I don't like this deal, reckon it's way too long, and won't stop him from wanting to make noises about playing in WA anyway. All be-Koz you didn't want yet another negative PR battle.

IF ...

I was critical even after the Roos drew with reigning premier Brisbane in round nine ...

THEN ...

I'm not going to talk down a win against West Coast in round 13. This is a win-loss caper, and North won that game. But … four premiership points against the only team below it on the ladder really shouldn't be that difficult. And no one will surely ever have cause to rewatch it.

IF ...

there aren't many old-school operators and methods left in the AFL system ...

THEN ...

thank God for Kenny. And he's going out the only way he knows – his way. The us-against-the-world ideology still has a prominent place in his approach, and with Butters and Rozee still clearly hanging off his every word, Kenny may yet have one last crack at a finals series.

IF ...

the Tigers have won three (against Carlton, Gold Coast and West Coast) and should have won two more (North Melbourne and GWS) ...

THEN ...

that doesn't excuse them for what they dished up in round 13 against the Swans. Booted 3.4 in the first quarter of that game, but just 0.3, 0.1 and 1.4 in the three quarters after that. And just 0.1 in the last quarter the week prior, in that loss to GWS. The bye has come at a very good time.

IF ...

the Saints somehow got a Thursday night slot this week against the Bulldogs, and yet again bored everyone to sleep with a dismal display, and thank God the cricket was an option ...

THEN ...

get ready for one more marquee slot this year. Friday night lights in round 23 against Essendon. Can't wait for that one. Their own supporters clearly don't care, either. 20,000 crowd on Thursday. What a mess.

IF ...

Horse and Harley are now out, and Andrew Pridham has long been eyeing taking over the AFL commission ...

THEN ...

the mighty Swans are potentially as vulnerable as any stage of their life in Sydney. This remains the toughest, and by far the most lucrative, sports market in Australia, and the Swans have got things right for a very long time now. But they simply must make the right call on their next CEO.

IF ...

the Eagles felt they were on the right track after an OK performance against Geelong in round 12 ...

THEN ...

they careered off that track last weekend. A dreadfully lacklustre performance against 17th-placed North Melbourne.

IF ...

my AFL player rankings have Bont at one (he's been my No.1 for the past eight years and will always be my No.1), Daicos at two and Cameron at three ...

THEN ...

Darcy is at four. What a return on Thursday night against the woeful Saints, after eight weeks of rehab on a knee. An extraordinary talent still learning.

Learn More 01:49

AND THIS ONE'S FOR THE AFL

IF ...

there are many problems with the game overall and umpiring specifically ...

THEN ...

I have a guaranteed way to fix at least one issue. Scrap the need for umpires to bounce the ball to start each quarter and after each goal. Immediately. Very few umpires can do this properly, anyway. And in last Sunday's Carlton-Essendon match at the MCG, there were two occasions where an umpire chose to call back a bounce, even when the ball didn't cross the circle-line. Not sure which rule was being applied there.

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